I have 1.7rrs on my car right now and I am about to purchase a 224/230 cam... My springs are already fine for the lift it would push I have the dual crane springs on there right now with the l98 seats. But I was wondering if anyone has tried this, and if so does the cam peak faster thus making it fall on its face faster. I've heard the xe grinds fall on there face faster compared to other cams due to the ramps, just wasnt sure if using my 1.7s are going to make it fall faster.. Either way I am going to do it, just was curious as to if anyone has.

 

Bump last try.

 

i havent personally done it. but i'm guessing you're going to run into valve control issues. the 224 lobes that comp has for small blocks are fairly agressive, and hard to control, especially with a traditional stock diameter spring. adding 1.7 rockers (artificially pumping the ramps) to the mix will only make things harder. and due to the amount of rocker ratio change i would suggest you look into a pushrod that isnt stock length, or some lash caps to correct the geomerty. checking for proper geometry in the valvetrain is something i feel is fairly important, but i'm pretty picky. other things you can expect from the rocker ratio increase are things like decreased spring life and accelerated wear on the valve guides, also expect your lifters to wear out somewhat faster. remember that your rocker arm acts as a lever it multiplies your lift at the valve but it also mulitiplies the vavle springs pressure on the lifter side. if you have an open pressure of 325lbs and a 1.5 rocker you end up with 487.5lbs on the lifter side, but with a 1.7 the same spring applies 552.5 dont get me wrong i'm not saying you will encounter a failure, i'm just pointing out some things, and saying there is no free lunch. as for your cam falling off faster no it should be about the same as all the guys running 1.5's and 1.6's if your springs keep it all under control.

 

WS6t3rror pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you run higher ratio rockers to get more lift, then the lifter will eventually bite the bullet. Lifters take the force of the spring times the rocker ratio.

I would recomend using 1.6 rockers with a rev kit and a cam with more lift. Using higher ratio rockers is usually a bandaid that come and bite you later down the road.

 

actually if i was hell bent on running 1.7's i'd use as light a spring retainer and rocker setup as i could as opposed to a rev kit. a set of 918's with Ti retainers and pro mags would be my choice. then you dont have to run as heavy a spring psi to control it. valve control is for the most part a momentum problem (at least talking about this) and momentum is (mass x velocity) reduce either and you have less energy to deal with ie lesser springs needed because of less energy to absorb, heavier springs isnt always the answer. the lighter springs should also last a hell of a lot longer due to less heat, and also have a reduced risk of breakage. its important to remember that the valvetrain is a system and not just a group of funny looking parts. my philosophy on high perf engines is all the hp in the world aint worth sh*t if it isnt reliable.

disco192: thats a fairly good solution but at the same time a more aggressive camshaft will cause increased loading on the axle of the lifter and still cause a compromised service life although i have yet to see the axle (needle bearing) give up in a hyd roller lifter outside of a marine engine. theres still no free lunch (thats for girls not gearheads).